TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters visited the Istiqlal Mosque and met its Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar on Thursday, March 14, 2024. The agenda was part of Peters’ two-day visit to Indonesia.

The visit to the largest mosque in Southeast Asia was to commemorate the Christchurch mosque mass shooting tragedy that occurred in New Zealand on March 15, 2019. At that time, white supremacist attacks at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Center killed at least 51 people and injured 20 others.

Jacinda Ardern, then Prime Minister of New Zealand, along with other heads of state labeled the attack as a terrorist attack.

"Minister was humbled to tour Al Istiqlal, Southeast Asia’s largest mosque, ahead of tomorrow's fifth anniversary of the March 15 terrorist attacks in Christchurch," Peters said via social media platform X.

During the visit, he spoke with Istiqlal Mosque Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar about the importance of religious diversity and freedom. Peters also wrote a message in a book at the Istiqlal Mosque thanking the people and Indonesian government for their support in the days following the attack in Christchurch.

"[Indonesia and New Zealand] shared commitment to strengthening unity in our diverse communities," he said.

Peters said Jakarta was the first city he visited days after the Christchurch shooting, during a press conference after speaking with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

"On behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand, on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the 2019 terrorist attack in Christchurch, I extend my sincere condolences to the friends and families of the 51 people who lost their lives,” he said. "We think it's appropriate that we again pay tribute to the organizations that gave us so much help when it happened in 2019. And after the incident, on March 15, we immediately came to Indonesia to talk to Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and the Indonesian people.”

During his visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office, Peters and Retno also discussed bilateral relations between the two countries as well as regional and international issues.

NABIILA AZZAHRA

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